Changeling/Merits
Hedgebeast Companion (
to )
Effect: Your character has befriended a creature of the Hedge to serve as her companion. Through a special song or gesture, the creature comes to its master anywhere in the Hedge, except to the Hollow of a changeling who prohibits it.
You may select from the following abilities per dot.
Actormask: A changeling can bring their companion through a gate into the mundane world, where it persists as long as the changeling feeds it a point of Glamour once per scene. Like your changeling, the companion has a Mask, which the character can scour away or reinforce just like his own. The Mask always looks like a mundane animal.
Armorskin: The companion has plates of thick chitin, is made of stone, etc. It gains 3/2 armor.
Chatterbox: The companion can understand what people say and converse intelligently. It speaks the preferred language of its owner. This can be taken multiple times to allow it to speak multiple languages.
Dreamspun: When the companion dies, it returns to life the next time the character gets a full night’s rest, with no knowledge of perishing. It gains dots in Stealth equal to your dots in this merit.
Hedgefoot: Your character’s companion can either run across water as fast as it moves on land, swim at its normal speed, move up buildings/walls at three times its normal speed, or fly at its normal speed. This can also be used to give a creature a burrowing speed of half their normal speed, so long as they are burrowing through dirt/gravel/sand/other loose material, and does not leave a tunnel behind it. This can be bought multiple times for different effects.
Manyleague: With a body of screaming wind or quicksilver, the companion's Speed is doubled and it gains the Merit’s rating as a bonus to Initiative.
Nightlurk: The companion has a special sense that allows it to see in the dark--or some equivalent. It could be echolocation, heat sense, or a supernaturally heightened sense of smell. It suffers no penalties for darkness, and has 8-again on Perception rolls.
Skitterskulk: Your companion is small and easy to overlook. You may lower its Size and Strength by 1, and in return, all rolls to notice the hedgebeast are modified by -2. Lowering the companion’s Size also affects its Health. You may do this up to three times, but only need to purchase this ability once. Thus, a companion with Size/Strength 1 benefits from -6 to all rolls to notice it.
Thornbeast: Add two dice to all attacks the companion makes, and increase their weapon modifier by 2. This can represent claws, teeth, spines, fae flames, or any other sort of natural or mystical weaponry.
Tricksterskin: The companion is able to shapeshift into a seemingly mundane object. If the character spends a glamour, the hedgebeast can change into an item smaller or equal to its Size for the scene. It may leave the Hedge like this, but cannot change back into its animal form outside of the Hedge unless it has Actormask. When in this form, the object has an equipment modifier equal to dots in this merit divided by two, rounded up. For example, a 5 dot briarhound may turn into a fur-lined leather coat for its master to wear, giving her 3/3 armor.
Venombite: The hedgebeast has some form of natural venom. If it successfully deals lethal damage to a victim, it may choose to infect them with the Poisoned tilt. This is a Moderate poison. This ability may be taken a second time, in which case the poison is updated to Grave.
Wyrdtouched: The companion has a close connection to the Wyrd, and thus is able to call upon its magic. It has one Common Regalia Contract, but cannot use loopholes or seeming benefits. This ability can be bought a maximum of three times.
Base Stats
- Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 3, Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 3
- Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Survival 2
- Willpower: 6
- Initiative: 6
- Defense: 6
- Speed: 14 (species factor 7)
- Size: 4
- Weapons/Attacks:
- Bite/Claw: +0L, 6 dice
- Health: 7
- Wyrd: 1
- Max Glamour: 6
Dots can be moved around to customize your companion, within reason. If you dump 5 skill dots into Brawl, we are unlikely to approve it, but moving a dot or two of Athletics into Occult or Academics to represent a smarter creature is fine. Skills cannot exceed 7 dots total unless you have bought an ability that specifically adds skill dots. (Such as Dreamspun.) Attribute dots can also be moved around, but you may only have one physical attribute at 4, and none at 5. Attribute dots cannot exceed 27 dots total, and you must have at least 1 dot in all Attributes.
All Hedgebeast Companions require an explanation for why they have befriended you. They may be acquired through plot scenes, prps, or some other handwaved explanation--such as finding and saving the creature while on patrol, buying them from the Goblin Market, and so on. So long as there's a clear reason, you're good to go. (And we may tie it into plots we run as well!) Please include your explanation or log link in your xp request ticket when you purchase them.
Kiss of Life )
Requirements: Leechfinger Kith
Benefit: When you use your Sap the Vital Spark kith blessing, you are able to 'store' the healing potential and use it on another character with a touch. Healing another character has the same effect as healing yourself, downgrading one level of damage per charge. This stored healing can also be used on yourself as normal. If the healing is not used by the end of the scene the vital energy dissipates.